St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-07
AN ELEVATED RAILWAY.

A city cannot be over blessed with
rapid transit. There are so few cities
provided with transit facilities equal to
the demand that any proposition look
ing to an increase of accommodation in
this direction is always hailed with de-
light by the public. One of st. PauFS
greatest needs to-day is additional
accommodation of this character. The
people have been demanding it for some
time, and the building of the cable line
was undertaken in response to that de-
mand. Still, the cable line, if it is ever
built, of which many people are now in
doubt, will not fully provide for all our
transportation necessities. 1t is, there
fore, with no little degree of pleasure
that the GLORE notes a movement
on the part of the council to grant a
francise to the st. Paul and Minneapolis
Rapid Transit company to erect and
operate an elevated railway in this city,
and to extend its line so as to connect
the two cities. The fact is the council
has been too stinted heretofore, in
granting franchises of this character.
The consequence is that there is not a
more poverty stricken city of its size
in the Union, so far as its transportation
facilities are concerned, than st. Paul.
We.are away behind the times in this re-
spect and the prosperity of the city is
being cramped and its growth retarded
by this stinted policy. 1t is time to get
out of the old rut and to take a step for
ward.
The further development of the city
must not longer be retarded by the dila-
tory maneuvering of the street railway
management. The GLOBE has a kind
feeling for the street railway company
and has given Mr.. LOWRY every en-
enlargement to prosecute the work of
building new lines. But as kindly as it
feels toward the cable company, the
GLOBE has still deeper interest in pro-
noting the prosperity of st. Paul. We
do not know Mr.. LowRY's motives for
delaying the work on the cable line, and
do not propose to question them. But
we do know that there is clearly de-
fined impression in the minds of the st.
Paul people that the city is being tri1ed
with, and that it is the duty of the coun-
Gil to make the company toe the mark.
The new company which asks for
authority to construct all elevated rail
way is organized on a solid basis, with
gentlemen at the head of it fully capa-
BILE to perform all they undertake. This
enterprise will not necessarily be COM
petitor of the street railways. There is
room for both of them and for many
more such enterprises. The city cannot
be too well supplied in this respect. But
whether it comes in competition or not
with the street railway company, that
should not be taken into consideration.
The street railway company already
has the right to occupy the surface of
the ground and to build lines on every
street in the city. The new company
asks authority to build in the air above
the streets. There is no sort of conflict
between the two enterprises. They oc-
cupy different spheres. The new com
pany does not ask to become a monop-
oily. 1t seeks no exclusive privileges.
1t is carefully provided in the
proposed ordinance that nothing
therein contained shall be construed to
abridge the power of the city to grant
any future applicant the same authority
GlldO 10 SIdnIeu W tIilS company. Inc
proposed ordinance is published in full
in this mornings GLOBE, and it will be
seen that its conditions are SO clear and
specific as to leave no room for suspi-
cion that any advantage is to be taken
of the public. We want more and bet
ter transit accommodations than we
now have. We must have them. We
want better and cheaper communica-
ton between the two cities. We must
have it. Here is plain proposition to
give us what we have been asking for,
. and there ought to be no sort of hesita-
ton in accepting it.